Two days prior to departure, I had confirmed Sally and I’s ground transportation arrangements, at least I thought I had. Well, we get in to BCN and upon entering the arrivals hall, start looking for our taxi driver. We looked for several minutes and nothing. No one there holding a sign up with the taxi company’s name on it. So, thankfully, from my 2011 trip to Barcelona, I knew where the taxi company’s office was at the airport. We headed straight for it and when we got there, well, it was as if we weren’t in the system. The girl at the desk ask for the confirmation paper, which I gave her and then she made some phone calls. No information forthcoming as to why no one was in arrival to meet us or when we could expect a driver to appear. Very frustrating to say the least and at the end of a transatlantic flight with a connection, not what one wanted to have to contend with.

Well, after about 15 minutes and some persistence on my part to get more information out of the staff, we were told that a driver was enroute. ETA, around 15 minutes. So, at least Sally and I knew that something was happening. We found a place to sit and wait. What a wait it would turn out to be, it was more like 30 minutes and when the driver arrived, ignored us, went straight to the taxi office and more discussions took place about our reservation. Then, the driver left. We were dumb founded and were wondering what on earth was going on. The girl from the taxi company piped up that the driver was in touch with the corporate office and would be back.

About 15 minutes pass and the driver comes back. Time now, 14h00, had touched down at BCN at 12h30. Thankfully the driver came straight to where we were sitting and told us that he was our driver and that he would now drive us to our apartment. With much relief, Sally and I got up and gathered our luggage and followed the driver to the taxi van. We loaded our baggage in the back and got in the taxi. The driver proceeded to drive us into Barcelona. During the whole length of the drive, the driver said nothing, almost as if he knew he had screwed up. But he did get us to the Apartment without any further delay or fuss.

Upon arrival at the Apartment, we unloaded our luggage and parted ways with our taxi driver. Exhausted from the three delays, we entered the apartment office to check-in.

Sally and I had chosen to stay at Eric Vokel Gran Via Suites, and we were in for a nice surprise. The apartment we rented was roomy, well lit with natural light and quiet. The kitchen/dining room/living area was just the right size and we had a small balcony to be able to sit out on, complete with a small table and two chairs. The bedroom offered ample room for us to stow our luggage.

One of the unique features of the Apartment building itself was the lift. The lift dated back to 1900 and was semi-manual in operation. To enter the lift, you had to open the lift door outwards and then open two small doors attached to the lift itself, inwards (2 small French doors). You then got into the lift. After you were in, you then had to close the outer door, then close and secure the two smaller lift doors. Then you would press the button for the floor you wanted to go to.

The lift itself was mostly of wood construction. The design incorporated a lot of glass panes so you could see the whole lift operation. The lift could hold 4 people, that is 4 people with no luggage or packages.

With all the major travel behind us, we were able to take in and relax in our temporary digs. We made a grocery run later that evening after having had some time to get settled in at the apartment. The next day, we would start to explore and enjoy all that Barcelona has to offer.

Eric Vokel Gran Via Suites
Gran Via De Les Corts Catalanes 454 Barcelona, Barcelona 08015

So, we are thinking, Okay, we have a small delay. Well, you could see the cabin crew trying to work things out as it was in the Economy and Economy plus sections of the aircraft where the seating issues were taking place. For anyone who has flown, seating assignments can become hot button issues really quickly, even though, when you really thinking about it, you are only going to be in a particular seat for a few hours of one’s life, not a life time. I have witnessed passengers loose it on seating assignments, even on short hops between Washington (DCA) and New York (LGA). Thankfully, there were no theatrics, but just some sort of seating assignment snafu with a few passengers.

About 15 minutes after are scheduled push back time, the aircraft is buttoned and pushed back. We were thinking, finally we are off. The aircraft taxied out to 19R at IAD and then the Captain comes on the PA system again. Another delay, this time due to weather. We were #6 for take-off and there were thunderstorms in the area that was impacting the DC airspace. So, it was going to be a slow taxi to the end of Runway 19R. How slow? Almost 50 minutes. We finally took-off approximately an hour after our scheduled departure time.

What was the most stressful part of the last delay had to do with the aspect that we had to connect to a flight in Amsterdam. As the minutes ticked away, your mind goes through all the what if’s regarding impact to missing a connecting flight. On one hand, it could mean a window of opportunity to head into Amsterdam to kill time but then again, you kind of just want to get to your destination. Thankfully, for Sally and I, we landed in Amsterdam just 5 minutes past our scheduled arrival time and had no connection issues. To KLM’s credit, the flight crew did a great job making up the time enroute.

You will find that on a Sunday in Paris, a majority of the stores are closed, so if you intend to go out shopping, better choose from the other six days of the week. So, we headed to the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur, which is perched upon one of the highest points with in Paris. It can feel like quite a climb at times when walking up to Sacre-Coeur, but the view is well worth the work out.

Upon reaching Sacre-Coeur, we found our selves on a ‘open market’ like day. There were all different type of stalls up and the theme appeared to be ‘Food and Wine from the Various Regions of France’. The open market was fairly congested with tourists, but the mood was quite festive. We found a great place to purchase macaroons, a small shop just a block or so away from the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur.

Biscuiterie de Montmarte is the name of the store and they had quite a variety of macaroon flavors to choose from. Plus, they package theirs in two different sizes of rectangular tins, which is great if you are planning to bring some home with you. You can be sure that they won’t get crushed when you pack them in your luggage for the flight home. Sally ended up buying two tins of macaroons.

We took a leisurely stroll through parts of the 18th and 17th Arrondissments before heading back to the apartment, where we called it a day.

On Monday, our last full day in Paris, we aimed to get various shopping runs done. During the course of the Day we went by Opera house, down through the Place Vendome, went through the Hermes store, Mettez (sort of like Orvis, but only French country fashions for men and women), and through Jardin des Tuileries, where we would grab lunch.

After lunch, we continue down to Notre Dame. We debated about joining the long line to go up into the tower, but decided to go in and enjoy the main section of the cathedral. Admission into the main section of the cathedral is free and you do have to clear security, no food or drinks allowed, so you see a lot of people guzzling down their drink or tossing it in to rubbish bin before they enter the cathedral.

The cathedral was much darker on the inside than I had expected. Compared to how the National Cathedral in Washington is lit, going in to Notre Dame is quite dark, but with that comes a calm with it. Sally and I just took our time taking it all in and sat inside the Cathedral taking in the rose windows, the craftsman ship of the construction and the details found through out the cathedral. It was a great way to break up the days walk and to get a nice, relaxing rest before heading out for the second half. We plan to return to Notre Dame and walk the tower on another trip to Paris.

We continued on foot to the Pantheon and then on to Palais du Luxembourg. We took a different route through the grounds this time and explored more of the 7th Arrondissment. We came across a variety of different stores that peaked our interests and eventually made our way to the Eiffel Tower.

Sally and I started the trip in Paris with the Eiffel Tower and we ended our trip there.

We then headed back to the apartment to get ready to clean up and pack. We ended up walking 13.1 miles on our last full day in Paris. I think we only used metro once the whole day, taking the metro from Trocadero back to the apartment.

Tuesday, travel day, turned out to be a bit entertaining. We checked out of our apartment and headed to the Gare du Nord. Upon reaching the station, we found out that there was a general train strike and that the train service that serves the airport, thankfully, was still in operation, all be it a diminished schedule and utilizing a different platform. We secured our tickets and headed for the platform, not realizing that to get to it, we would have to climb up stairs with our luggage as none of the escalators servicing the platform available. We caught our train and encountered no other problems.

Upon getting to the airport we checked in our luggage and proceeded through security. Sally was able to take advantage of my extra luggage allowance with Air France. Once cleared of security we were able to relax and grab lunch. We boarded our flight and proceeded home. As the aircraft rotated off the runway, Paris and all of France slipped away. Our first vacation to Europe together was over. It was our European honeymoon. It was specially on soo many levels for both of us.

Like with any vacation that ends, there is always a hint of sadness as for those few days, you are able to escape and take a break from the daily grind. You get to put down the schedule, the daily demands of life and just be able to relax, take in and observe life. But Sally and I are already working on what out next European vacation.  Below are images from the second half of our trip to Paris.

Miles Walked:

Arrival Day – Oct 6 – 7.1 Miles
1st Full Day – Oct 7 – 12.8 Miles
2nd Day – Oct 8 – 10.5 Miles
3rd Day – Oct 9 – 5.5 Miles
4th Day – Oct 10 – 13.1 Miles
Departure Day – Oct 11 – 2.3 Miles

Total Miles walked: 51.3 Miles

On the first day, we focused on getting established in our little apartment in the city by securing the key and making a run to the local grocery store to get a few odds and ends. Next, we headed out to the Eieffel Tower.

To see the Tower at night, is always amazing as it is beautifully lit up, but there is an extra show in store for everyone when the tower turns on hundreds of smaller lights that flicker and make the tower come a live with light. We stayed to watch the light show and when it was done, walked to the Arc de Triomphe and then down the Champs Elysees.

On our second day, we would cover a lot of ground, actually, 12.8 miles to be exact. We ventured out towards the Bastille and then down to Notre Dame. The line was pretty long to get in to Notre Dame, so we proceeded on to the Louvre. This is where the rain decided to make things a little more interesting.

The line getting into the Louvre was a fair length when the rain hit, then everyone sort of scattered for cover and those left in line were either huddled under an umbrella or wearing some form of wet weather gear. Sally and I decided that we would duck into the Metro system and head off to the Hotel des Invalides.

Upon arriving at the Hotel des Invalides, we found ourselves in dry conditions. We headed to the cafe adjacent to the museum and Napoleon’s tomb for a spot of lunch. After lunch we proceeded through the museum and the associated grounds.

After we finished up the Hotel de Invalides, we headed back over to the Louvre, where we would take advantage of the late opening. The Louvre is open on Friday nights until 21h45. We figured that the crowds would be down in the evening and it would be a less crowded experience. We spent the better part of the late afternoon at Louvre and left around 19h00, heading to Trocadero to see where would grab a spot of dinner out in one of Paris many restaurants.

We found a neat restaurant off the beaten path. It was nice and quiet, very relaxing after day of walking the streets of Paris.

On our second full day in Paris, we had more of a shopping theme in mind. We ventured out to Galleries Lafayette, one of Paris’ largest department stores, covering three blocks. A word to the wise, going to Galleries Lafayette on a Saturday it is not only an adventure, but a test of survival as you battle the huge crowds, a mix of Parisians and tourists. Sally and I found many interesting things but were inclined to return on Monday to purchases things there by saving us from having to lug everything around Paris the rest of the day.

After surviving the mobs of shoppers at Galleries Lafayette, Sally and I took time to grab some lunch and then headed down to Latin Quarter. There we would walk and explore the area’s many small boutiques. We ended up at Jardin du Luxembourg where we took in the gardens associated with Palais du Luxembourg. We then headed back to the apartment to gear up for the next days adventure.

Below are the images taken by Sally and I during our first 2+ days in Paris. Enjoy.

21 May 2011 (Barcelona, Spain) – This morning I ventured back out to Barcelona, this time focusing on just one area – Park Guell. To be honest, I am glad I did this trek in the morning, before the heat had built up as was to find out, there is a fair amount of hill gradient to climb in getting to the highest part of the park.

I starting point was from the Vallcarca Metro station. You find upon exiting the station that the metro system has brought you up upon one of Barcelona’s surrounding hills. And as I made my way to the park, looking down some of the side streets en-route, greatly suspected that I was going to be climbing even higher. Barcelona took tourists ability to climb the hill in to consideration as there are travelers encounter several steep gradients. There were two banks of escalators, the first had two escalators and the the second bank had three. That doesn’t mean you won’t encounter some of the climb without mechanical assistance, but at the steepest parts, the escalators are there to help ease your trip up.

Once at the park entrance, the past is a loose gravel path up to the highest point in the park. There, you are given a great view of Barcelona and the surrounding area. Then, you start you descent down to the lower entrance of the park where you encounter many of the artist Count Eusebi Güell. The most notable are the two buildings at the lower entrance of the park. They are truly unique in design and quite something to look at.

After capturing what I wanted capture on ‘film’ with my camera, I headed down to Lesseps Metro station to make my way out to the race track for Formula 1 qualifying. As it turned out, due to several glitches, I missed qualifying of the Spanish Grand Prix, so there are no photographs to share with you. I did, however, grab my credentials needed to attend tomorrows race.

In terms of miles walked today, including while walking to get my credentials at the track, 14.1 miles walked. Not a bad work out. Weather wasn’t bad either.

20 May 2011 (Castelldefels, Spain) – After a day of exploring and walking the city of Barcelona, I headed to the beach that is only 3 blocks away from the apartment that I rented for my stay. I took my picnic style dinner, my ipod, some water and a book with me. It was a great way to end the day, hearing the surf pound at the beach and seeing the sun set off to the West. And, for a change, I chose to spin the camera on me, something I normally do not do. But I also added some shadow shots for fun.

20 May 2011 (Barcelona, Spain)

I then proceeded down La Rambla. Crowds were very heavy going down La Rambla and there were many street performers up and down the street. I found a grocery store along La Rambla and proceeded to stock up on things like water, some snacks and some sandwiches for the day. From the grocery store, I proceeded further down La Rambla and stumbled upon an open air market – Mercat St. Joseph. The market had fresh produce, fresh fish and meat for sale. For those who are animal lovers, you may want to avoid this market, as some of the meat and most of the fish… lets just say, you could by whole if you wanted to or have it cut up in front of you.

I returned to La Rambla and proceed down to Plaza Reial which is just off La Rambla. It is a quiet plaza with restaurants surrounding it and for anyone looking to have a nice, quiet meal away from the crowds, a place to keep in mind.

From Plaza Reial, I sort of meandered my way around to the Cathedral, which was undergoing some reconstruction. And then from the Cathedral down to another open air market, Mercat de Santa Caterina, which was house in a modern building with a uniquely coloured roof. Mercat de Santa Caterina was less crowded than Mercat St. Joseph and pretty much offered similar items.

I then went on to explore the area between Mercat de Santa Caterina and Arc de Triomf. Upon reaching the Arc de Triomf, I sat down under the shade of one of the palm trees and had my lunch. Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf is small in stature than Paris’ Arc de Triumph and made of different material. Certainly a different look than Paris’ but similar concept.

After finishing lunch, I walked down to Parc de la Ciutadella, which carried the sounds of many, many children at play. The sounds echoed in parts due to some really unique and interesting structures. The first structure was upon entry into the park, the Museu de Ciencies Naturals. The building, to me, is reminiscent of the Smithsonian Castle back in Washington. I went further in to the park and found an amazing fountain, the font de la cascada. Adjacent to the fountain, is a mockup what I believe is a Mammoth, well at least an earlier evolution of today’s elephant.

I then decided to travel towards Torre, which is reminiscent of London’s Gherkin. There wasn’t much to see or enjoy en-route and when I got near enough to the building, found that there was a lot of road works in the area and decided to proceed on to Sagrada Familia. The walk does start taking you up more hillier terrain but was a nice walk overall.

Once in sight of Sagrada Familia, the crowds grew and there was a good line to get into the building, with a fair wait too.

I went from Sagrada Familia to Licea Metro station using Barcelona’s metro system. I had intended on going up to Vallacara, but got twisted around which platform to get on at Sagrada Famila. I’ll get that right tomorrow morning when I return to Barcelona and will get in some photography at Casa-Museu Gaudí. Upon arriving at Licea Metro station, I realized I had gone in the wrong direction and decided that it was time to call it day and to start to head by to my apartment in Castelldefels. I took a different root back to the train station, Pg. de Gracia.

In all, I walked 13.2 miles today. Not bad really. I good work out to say the least.

19 May 2011 (Barcelona, Spain)

The one thing that was very noticeable in the run up to departure was the weather. Thunderstorms were rolling in to the Washington DC Area and ground holds were being put in play by Air Traffic Control (ATC). We boarded the aircraft on time but then were held at the gate, ready to push-back, for a good 20 minutes. Then once were taxiing to the runway, were directed by ATC to go to a holding pad and wait there. We ended up waiting over 40 minutes before finally being cleared for take-off.

Once airborne we headed south and maneuvered around the storms before being able to go in a more ENE direction. Thankfully there wasn’t too much turbulence en-route and even with the delays, we were only a few minutes late getting into CDG.

At CDG, I had to make my connecting flight, which wasn’t much of a problem as I had three hours between flights. I grabbed lunch and logged online while in Terminal 2F (my departure terminal for my flight to BCN) to send a few emails out.

The time came to catch my flight to Barcelona and really, it was a quiet flight. I landed in Barcelona, grabbed my luggage, caught my pre-arranged taxi service and made my way to the apartment. It was approach 19h00 European Summer time before I made it to the apartment. And celebrate, after checking in and dropping off my luggage, I walked the three blocks to the beach and took in the view. Not a bad way to end an overnight and day of flying.

I decided that I would take in the Heineken Experience at the old Heineken factory located in Amsterdam. Given that I had done the Guinness tour while in Dublin, it was only fitting to do the same here with Heineken here in Amsterdam. Other wise, I took the time to explore some of the neighborhoods off the beaten path. Below are the days images.

I did venture out to Amsterdam’s infamous Red Light District, which, well was interesting to observe the crowds there more than anything else. I didn’t take any photographs there, but what I observed were the groups of people going there. Yes, the majority where groups of men, but you saw all ages and all sexes there. You could hear the groups of men sort egg one of their colleagues on, where is the groups with both men and women, you heard more laughter at the display of women scene in various windows.

It was kind of amusing to see the stores that lined the street as well. A mix of hotels, pubs and sex shops. Other wise, there really wasn’t anything significant about the area.

I spent the majority of my time exploring the rest of Amsterdam. I went to various shopping areas through out Amsterdam. It was just a nice walking around the city taking in different neighborhoods, the various designs of each neighborhood, both modern and old architecture.

The other thing I kept an eye out for were the different types of bicycles used in Amsterdam. For that story and set of images, click here.